Issue #23: New Hotel New

What’s happening in the world of super cool new hotels? Check out our latest five most noteworthy openings of 2021 as featured by the editors at HotelMap? & Roomcard?.

The week’s hot new hotels reveal the opening of a wellness retreat in Majorca specialising in soothing minimalism, 24 cabins with views of the Catskill Mountains and a hotel in Mexico that’s a mezcal lover’s dream. Discover dreamy four-poster beds in Norfolk’s newest hotel and see inside India’s first Raffles hotel.

Raffles Udaipur?| Opened 2 August 2021

INDIA:?A hotel with its own island, India’s first Raffles?“isn’t your average five-star”?says?Conde Nast Traveller. The hotel?“sets a new standard in luxury accommodation in Udaipur”?according to?Elle Decor. On a 21-acre private island?“in the middle of the serene Udai Sagar lake”?(Conde Nast Traveller). A decade in the making, architect Clive Gray of Randolph Gray Design,?“used the island’s natural topography”?to create a hotel that best summarised as?“English country estate meets Rajasthan’s royal heritage”?(Conde Nast Traveller). This translates into a spa, a library of 1,000 books and?“an East-meets-West aesthetic”?(Conde Nast Traveller). There’s a Long Bar -?“a hallmark of the Raffles brand”?(Elle Decor) - a Grand Ballroom and on-site temple. It all amounts to?“a nature lover’s paradise”?says?Elle Decoration.

Our favourite feature:?Raffles really knows how to do luxury, and on a private island.

Es Racó d’Artà | Opened March 2021

SPAIN:?Taking a?“radically new direction”?(Conde Nast Traveller), Es Racó d’Artà is a wellness retreat in eastern Majorca, near the small town of Artà, which acts as?“a showcase for local artisans”?(Wall Street Journal). A?“legacy project”?(New York Times Style Magazine) for Spanish architect Antoni Esteva, he worked with his children - architect Tomeu Esteva and fashion designer Rosa Esteva - on a farmhouse he’d?“long been in awe of”?(New York Times Style Magazine). Set on 500 acres with olive groves, grapevines and wheat, the 34 rooms are spread amongst free-standing casitas. The spa is?“influenced by Moroccan desert architecture”?(New York Times Style Magazine) with rooftop gardens and small courtyards. What was once the stable is now a meditation room and Tomeu’s wife, Gemma Bes, (a nutritionist to Rafael Nadal) runs?“courses on healthy cooking”?(Conde Nast Traveller). A?“study in soothing minimalism”?(New York Times Style Magazine),?“the result is astounding”?(Conde Nast Traveller).

Our favourite feature:?The design - minimalist interiors and Moroccan influences.

Piaule Catskill | Opened July 2021

USA:?In Hudson Valley, a home goods company has turned to hospitality creating?“a 24-room boutique hotel overlooking the mountains”?(Vogue); Piaule?“has quickly become an in-demand getaway”?(WWD). Named after the word for “crib” in French slang, Piaule Catskill cofounders Trevor Briggs and Nolan McHugh have created?“a chic, contemporary beacon of relaxation”?(WWD) with the restaurant and spa housed under?“a dramatically angled zinc roof”?(Wallpaper).?“Sunken and hidden in the hillside”?(Wallpaper),?“the spa is the hidden gem of the property”?(Forbes).?“Only 5 of the 50 acres were developed”?(Architectural Digest) at this?“design-forward”?hideaway (Forbes), created by Garrison Architects of Brooklyn. Combining Japanese and Scandinavian design,?“floor-to-ceiling glass doors”?(Architectural Digest) and private balconies offer?“unobstructed views of the Catskill Mountains”?(Forbes).

Our favourite feature:?Cabins overlooking the Catskills with a sunken spa.

Casa Silencio | Opening Fall 2021

MEXICO:?This new?“luxe six-bedroom boutique hotel”?(Forbes) from the founders of?“award-winning, Mezcal El Silencio”?(Pursuitist) is connected to their distillery in Oaxaca, making it?“a mezcal lover’s dream”?(Vogue). In a part of Oaxaca you wouldn’t normally see - a farming area where?“agaves line the road”?and?“spiky succulents grow like wild ferns”?(Vogue) - the rustic hotel is?“designed by legendary architect Alejandro D’Acosta”?(Pursuitist) and interior designer Martina D’Acosta. Each two-story room is made out of materials like?“reclaimed wood, terra cotta tiles, and compressed dirt”?(Vogue). One bathroom is?“built entirely from recycled mezcal bottles”?(Vogue). Drawing on their expertise in mezcal, owners offer a distillery tour,?“tastings and immersive guest experiences”?(Pursuitist) as well as sunrise hikes and outings into the nearby village of Mitla to see textiles.

Our favourite feature:?Mezcal and cool rooms among the spiky succulents in Mexico.

The Harper | Opened May 2021

UK:?Chosen by?The Observer?for its list of?“10 of Britain’s best seaside hotels”?and named last month by?Tatler?as?“one of North Norfolk’s most exciting new hotel openings”, The Harper is found?“in East Anglia’s chi-chiest reaches”?(The Telegraph).?“Reached via winding country lanes”?(Tatler), The Harper is?“truly remote”?(Tatler), overlooking?“a glorious expanse of salt marshes and dunes”?(The Observer). Its 32 rooms are?“arranged cleverly and carefully around a courtyard”?(The Telegraph) with?“four-poster beds, yoga, a spa”?(The Observer) and?“a petite pool”?(The Telegraph), making the hotel both family-friendly and?“ideal for a spa trip”?(Tatler).

Our favourite feature:?A spa, pool and cocktails perking up the flatlands of Norfolk.